Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Ministry was yesterday directed to assess the actual amount of sugar consumed in the country.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the available figures does not reflect the actual demand and subjects the nation to endless shortage of sweeteners. He wondered how can Kenya with nearly equal population with Tanzania consume about 800,000 tones against 450,000 tones in the country.

“We want the ministry to conduct a thorough assessment amid a nationwide campaign to improve production of the sugar crop,” Mr Majaliwa said when responding to a direct question from Jaku Hashim Ayoub (CCM).

Iringa-based agribusiness company, Mtanga Foods Limited is planning to invest in a modern abattoir in Kisarawe and processed meat selling outlet in Dar es Salaam during the first half of 2016.

Mtanga Foods Limited chief executive officer, Trevor Shaw said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the company has butcheries in Iringa and Mbeya regions.

“Our main base is in Iringa where we also have farms and meat processing plant, we have just opened an outlet in Mbeya and next year we will be in Dar es Salaam,” said Shaw who said the exact size of the investment to be made will be known later this year.

Official statistics by the Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO) indicate that food production has considerably increased from 9.66 million tonnes in 2005 to 16.0 million tonnes as of last year.

During his ten years in office, President Kikwete ensured that initiatives were implemented to improve the segment given the fact that majority of Tanzanians are farmers. The initiatives include the Agricultural Sector Development (ASDP), the Cooperatives Reform and Modernisation Programme (CRMP) and the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).

The Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) has been urged to augment efforts to promote organic agriculture. An official from the International Fund for Agricultural Development of the United Nations (IFAD), Mwatima Juma, stressed that SUA should play a leading role in promoting organic agriculture by providing education on the subject.